Sebastian couldn't reach Anastasia, so he showed up at the school gate. From a distance, Anastasia saw him and introduced him to Juliana, saying he was her boyfriend. Juliana's eyes stayed on Sebastian from the moment she saw him. He was very handsome, the kind of guy who turned heads just walking down the street, so Anastasia didn't think much of Juliana's reaction. Later, Anastasia graduated and started working at Everton Group. Juliana was a year behind, still in school, while Anastasia was already working. Over time, they saw each other less and less. Anastasia thought she and Juliana had the kind of friendship where, even if they didn't meet for a long time, they would still care about each other. Boy, was she wrong. The next time she saw Juliana was six months ago, outside Skycrest Corporation. Juliana was clinging to Sebastian, saying she wanted to repay him for helping her financially, but she knew very well that Anastasia was the one who had actually supported her. Sebastian had only lent his name. Still, Juliana pretended not to know and used it as a way to get closer to Sebastian. Anastasia had seen the whole thing from not far away. That day happened to be when Skycrest Corporation released its quarterly financial report. Normally, whenever the report came out, she and Sebastian would celebrate by going to a nice restaurant. It had become their little tradition over the years. Sebastian didn't take Juliana seriously at all. When he saw her, he only gave her a quick glance and said, "You want to repay me?" He smiled casually. "And what are you going to repay me with?" "I..." Juliana looked embarrassed. She had been poor for more than twenty years, and it showed in her behavior and even the way she dressed. Even though she had followed Anastasia for four years, all she had managed to pick up was a clumsy imitation. Sebastian had several friends with him that day. When they saw Juliana like that, they all laughed. Anastasia stepped in to help Juliana out of kindness. As a woman herself, she didn't want her friend to be mocked for her looks. Juliana's poor background had limited her taste, but that wasn't really her fault. Yet, somehow, in just half a year, Juliana had managed to work her way into their circle. When things started to change between her and Sebastian, Anastasia had no idea. By the time she realized, 1/3 2:09 pm D D DDD Liam was going over a pile of experimental data. It sounded boring, and even though he was only thirty- five, he was already almost bald. He rubbed the few hairs left on his head and finally got to the main point near the end of the meeting. "As you've probably heard, our department is still short of a deputy director. I'll be out on a business trip for a while. Until I'm back, the responsibility will fall on the deputy director." Everyone looked around, and a few glances landed on Anastasia. She was the one most valued by the leaders, and out of everyone there, she had the highest degree. People even said she had skipped a grade in high school. She was definitely a top student. At that point, Fiona raised her hand. "Mr. Tanner, I want to recommend Juliana! Even though she hasn't been here long, she brought core technology with her. If we use her technology at the product launch later this year, the company will definitely stand out in the industry!" Liam looked over at Juliana. It was true that in their field, technology was everything. That was what made someone valuable. Juliana had only been at the company for a few days, but several rounds of her experimental data had already looked very good. However, she and Anastasia were responsible for two completely different technologies. They were separate and didn't overlap. It still came down to the clients and which one they preferred. After all, the market was the only real test of technology. No matter how good it was, if nobody wanted it, it didn't matter. Liam thought for a moment before saying, "How about this? Right now, Everton Group has a big client. Whoever lands them first, and whichever technology they choose, that person will be promoted to deputy director and lead the project." The whole room looked at each other again. This was basically putting the two of them in direct competition. Fiona quickly asked, "Mr. Tanner, who's the client?" "Summit Group. I'll give both of you their contact number. You can set up your own meeting with their boss," Hearing that, the whole room exchanged looks. Summit Group was one of the top companies in Brisden. Everton Group had done well in recent years, but connecting, with a company like that could make their business grow fast. Summit Group valued stability in its partners. Once they signed a contract, it lasted at least three years. And since they basically dominated the market, whichever technology they picked would thrive, while the 2/3 2:09 pm D Anastasia's expression darkened. If this had happened before, it would have been easy. She could have just mentioned it to the Kairos family at home, and they would have helped without a problem, but not long ago, she and Sebastian had fallen out. The company was the Kairos family's company, with Terrence being the legal representative. 1 3/3 2:09 pm D DDD The Rose Who Chose His Rival Over Him # :། +8 Pearls